


Brother, let me be your fortress

by Shastelly



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Astral Plane, Bonding, Friendship, Gen, He's a leg, Hunk can save the day, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt Lance (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Sleep Deprivation, Songfic, Yellow Paladin is awesome, rover - Freeform, tea time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-05 20:45:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17332052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shastelly/pseuds/Shastelly
Summary: Hunk centric song fic for Brother, let me be your shelter - The Yellow Paladin supports his team and saves the day :) - some angst, some action, and some sweet bonding -Chapter 1 - Season 1 Pidge story,Chapter 2 - Season 2 Lance storyChapter 3 - Season 3 Keith storyChapter 4 - Season 1 Shiro storyChapter 5 - Season 2 team story - Hope you enjoy please read and review :)Cross posted on Fanfiction.net





	1. Pidge

"Ramblers in the wilderness we can't find what we need  
We get a little restless from the searching  
Get a little worn down in between  
Like a bull chasing the matador is the man left to his own schemes  
Everybody needs someone beside em' shining like a lighthouse from the sea"

Pidge - Season one  
  
It took about a week for Hunk to formulate and implement his plan. He had to wait until he felt comfortable asking for Lance's help and it took awhile for Hunk to really believe Lance was okay. Magic healing pods aside his best bud had been nearly dead for most of a day and it took a little longer than a couple quintants for his mind to accept he was completely healed. It didn't take that long to realize that Pidge was not healed.  
  
He watched her wonder the halls like some weird zombie girl. She groaned, she moaned, she growled. She did not talk, she did not smile, and she did not sleep. Hunk was nearly certain the only time she slept was when she literally passed out and he had caught her screaming awake more than once. The first time, was right after Lance had awakened, he'd been walking by the Green Lion's hanger and her screams had brought him running. She had been curled up around a box of tools. He had caught her sitting up still shaking and wiping the drool from her face. She had an imprint of whatever tool she had been laying on in the side of her face.  
  
"Pidge, you okay?" It had been about 10 in the morning castle time. She stood stiffly and straightened her glasses.  
  
"I'm fine, just was thinking about something and got an idea."  
  
"Pidge, if that's the way you react every time you get an idea I'm going to have a heart attack." Hunk didn't believe her for a minute and she was smart enough to know it, whether she was awake enough to notice was debatable.  
  
"Um, so you got an idea about Rover? You said his name?" Hunk offered. Pidge had not talked with anyone about the little robot other than to say he had saved her and was destroyed. Hunk knew there was more to the story.  
  
"No, well, yes, but I would need his processor." She rubbed a hand across her face, smudging whatever dirt was already there.  
  
"So, can we get it? I mean, where is it?" Hunk tried.  
  
"At the bottom of a shaft, where he dropped that Galra engineer." Pidge grabbed some tools and turned swiftly from Hunk, practically falling over her feet. "I have things to do."  
  
"Oh, okay. Anything I can help with?" Hunk offered uncertainly.  
  
"No." She walked away not looking back.  
  
The second nightmare about two quintants later right after they'd saved the Balmera, she had been screaming she wasn't a child. That time she flipped him off when he asked if he could help or if she wanted to talk.  
  
The last time was just a quintant after that, she still had tears in her eyes when she told him to leave her the flip alone, only she hadn't said flip. That time she had yelled Shiro's name. She was not dealing as well as she liked to pretend. He wasn't entirely sure any of them were.  
  
Lance was pretending he had amnesia, the fact he kept crawling into Hunks bed in the middle of the night shaking from nightmares kinda threw that claim out in Hunk's opinion. Keith was like moodier than usual - which was really saying something cause as far as Hunk could tell he was really moody most of the time. Shiro was like paranoid with a side of PTSD - it was a respectable kind of crazy, but still crazy. Allura was practicing her evil princess attitude, cause it was crazy how mean she was still being with the training. He had kind of thought after they came together as a team, she'd have backed off. Coran, well, Hunk thought he might be regular crazy, or maybe normal for an Altean. He was pretty convinced he was the only sane person in the entire group.  
  
After the last time with Pidge, he had dug up the footage from the castle security of the attack. He'd heard the story, but he hadn't been here and he thought the only way to help was to know exactly what had happened. He cringed, he cried, and he screamed, into his pillow to muffle the sound. Pidge hadn't given them half the story. The scene between her and Haxus was horrifying. He would have killed her and then Sendak would have killed her and that part were he tortured Shiro to get her to do what he wanted. Hunk took a deep breath. They were all adjusting to being Paladins, at war, pretend grown ups. He couldn't make a lot of it better, but he was rather a genius of a mechanic and he knew it. He re-watched the moment Haxus fell. He watched a few times from as many angles as he could. He was pretty sure he knew where he would find what was left of Rover. And he was pretty sure he couldn't get to it on his own, but the image of Pidge crying was burned into his soul.  
  
This is where a week after Lance had been miraculously restored to health, he was dangling from a rope held by Hunk over a height Hunk preferred not to think about picking Rover bits off of a ledge.  
  
"I think I got it all." He had objected briefly until Hunk had explained about Pidge. Then he'd practically swan dived off of the edge. He had been gathering bits and stuffing them in a small pouch for about half a hour…or half a varga.  
  
"So," Hunk said pulling the rope up as Lance walked up the side of the wall. "Anything much to work with."  
  
"No," Lance's voice sounded a little sad, "Not sure but some of the bits might have gotten taken care of with what was left of the body, which wasn't much." Hunk was glad he hadn't helped with that clean up.  
  
"Okay, thanks for your help." Lance handed over the bag and Hunk peered inside. This was going to take a bit of work.  
  
It didn't go as fast as he'd hoped and he watched Pidge continue to struggle. He tried cheering her up, he tried making her sleep, he even tried making her drink a warm team before bed, which he ended up wearing when she spit it out. Once and only once he tried taking her computer. She had shocked him with her bayard. Now he knew why Lance was always so nervous around it.  
  
They had rescued Shay, fought a monster and saved the Balmera. He hadn't a lot of free time. He was worried about Pidge though, so he'd given up his own sleep time to work on the special project. Hunk had to give her credit. She was tough. He would have been weeping going on as little sleep as she was. He knew she was doing everything she could to search for her family in between everything else going on and working on the transfer thing for interrogating Sendak with Coran.  
  
He'd almost been ready before the castle went nuts and tried to kill them, but it wasn't until a quintant after that when he'd finally completed the masterpiece. He was an engineer by trade so the software potion had really taken him longer than he would have liked, but he wanted to be sure it was right. He tracked Pidge down to Green's hanger, she liked to work there a lot.  
  
"Pidge?"  
  
"Over here." She waved from a panel on the Green Lion's left flank.  
  
"Hey, what are you working on?" He peered over her shoulder.  
  
"Eh, just checking some repairs I made after the Balmera, want to be sure everything is holding up." She had dark circles under her eyes and dirt smudged across her face. Her hair was limp and she was moving and speaking so much slower than usual. Hunk looked over and saw her computer running a search on the table nearby.  
  
"Still running searches on the data we collected?" He knew the answer.  
  
"Yeah, I've compiled some of the stuff we got from Sendak and I'm trying some searches through it, but it's really hard to define the parameters, and I keep feeling I'm missing something. If I just have the search off by a pinch it won't give me what I want." Her shoulders were slumped. She looked beat.  
  
"Pidge, when is the last time you slept."  
  
"Last night."  
  
"No I mean, like slept in a bed for more than three hours." Hunk looked her over, no way she slept last night.  
  
"The night before the Kerboros launch." Pidge snapped.  
  
Hunk was a bit taken back, he thought she was probably aiming for sarcasm, but it was probably true. She was letting things slip from her sleep deprived brain.  
  
"That's a long time Pidge, you can't keep going like this. You're going to make yourself sick or get hurt or screw something up." Hunk needed to get his point across. His gift was not so she could work more, it was so she could sleep.  
  
"I am doing everything I can. I don't need sleep I need to get work done. I need to find my family. I need to stop Zarkon. I need to not be having this conversation with you!" She was shaking and her fists were clenched at her sides.  
  
"I think you do need to have this conversation. No one doubts you are doing everything you can. I think you are doing things you shouldn't. Zarkon has been in power for thousands of years, you can't stay awake until we defeat him." Hunk reached out to her.  
  
She swatted his hand and turned away. "I am not a child, Hunk!"  
  
"I know that Pidge, a child I would have scolded and sent to bed. I am here talking to you as a friend. This needs to end. You just told me being off even just a little could screw up your search. Tell me, honestly, that you are on top of your game right now." Hunk crossed his arms and glared, daring her to lie.  
  
"I'm fine. I can handle this. I've gone without sleep before." she looked away not meeting his eyes.  
  
"Sure, in school, writing a paper, studying for a test. Not out in space in the middle of a war, almost getting killed, watching your friends get hurt, fighting for your life - I think that takes a little more out of you. I know it does me. And you are like insanely awesome, the things you've done and how well you are handling everything, I am super impressed, but you have to sleep. You can't keep this up, no one could." He touched her arm and she flinched away.  
  
"Handling it?" Her voice was bitter, "I'm not handling anything. I'm not sleeping because I can't. Every time I close my eyes I see…everything. I see Shiro screaming, Lance laying there not moving, I see Matt in some horrible prison, I see Dad lying dead on some planet I'll never find, or Mom sitting all alone in our house, or that Galra Haxus laughing at me and calling me a child and then trying to kill me, I see Rover's light blinking out and Haxus falling, but sometimes in my dreams he grabs me and we both fall, I see…" She might have kept going, but Hunk couldn't take anymore. He wrapped his arms around her and she sobbed into his shoulder.  
  
"This is handling it, Pidge. You have to stop trying to do everything on your own. You aren't alone out here, we are a team and we want to help you. You think you are the only one having trouble sleeping? Coran gave me something to help me sleep the second night here." Hunk gave her a watery smile, his own tears falling with hers.  
  
She turned up and looked at him and gave him a brave smile back.  
  
"Now I came here with something for you. I know, that you are working a lot of hours and your search is talking a lot of time, and I know you were really upset about Rover, so here." He held out what looked like a laptop computer with a glowing lights at the top, marked and colored like Rover.  
  
Pidge took it and ran her hands over the design.  
  
"Lance and I got what was left of Rover and I pieced together what I could, but it wasn't enough to make him back again, like I wanted. I did find a lot more than I thought I would and I was able to piece together most of his AI. I put it into that computer and then filled in the missing bits. I turned him into like a smart search engine. I think he'll be able to help you dig through all of the data you have." Hunk was getting nervous, she hadn't said anything at all yet.  
  
Pidge stared at the image of Rover on the top of the computer. It seemed like forever to Hunk before she finally spoke.  
  
I didn't think anyone would understand why it upset me so much. He was just a robot." She traced the lighted patterns.  
  
"He wasn't just a robot, he was yours and he saved your life." Hunk defended.  
  
She looked up and met his warm gaze. He meant it all. He understood and he totally cared.  
  
"Thank you. I don't know how to thank you." She sniffled again and held the new Rover tight.  
  
"Well, you can start thanking me by getting to bed at a decent hour and trying to sleep, and then if you have a nightmare, either come sack out in my room like Lance does or do what I did and get something from Coran." Hunk ruffled her hair and stood to go.  
  
"Hunk, I'm glad you're here with me." Her eyes gleamed behind her glasses and he felt a lump in his throat.  
  
"I'm glad too, Pidge, you're my friend and I wouldn't ever want you to need me and not be there to help."  
  
She latched onto him, computer clutched in one hand and the other wrapped around his waist. He walked half supporting her to her room. He tucked her into bed and she giggled a little. As he closed the door the light from Rover lit her face, already relaxed into sleep.  
  
"Sleep well, Pidge."


	2. Lance

"Face down in the desert now there's a cage locked around my heart  
I found a way to drop the keys where my failures were  
Now my hands can't reach that far  
I ain't made for a rivalry, I could never take the world alone  
I know that in my weakness I am stronger  
It's your love that brings me home"  
  
Lance - Season 2

"Lance, don't you quit on me. Lance, you need to move. Lance, Keith would have gotten me out by now." Hunk sat in the cage tears streaming down his face yelling at Lance. Yelling at his friend who was bleeding to death right in front of him.  
  
"Hunk. I can't." Lance was moving his hands but that was it. Nothing else was moving. He was four feet from the cage - four feet away with the keys. Four feet from saving both of them. Four feet away and dying, his best friend was going to die right in front of his eyes just out of reach.  
  
"Lance, you can. You can." Hunk sobbed remembering how this had all started how this had all gone so wrong.

  
***Flashback***  
  


"So it's a meet and greet, schmooze and make nicey nice with the friendly aliens?" Lance waved his hand in the air brushing off any concerns. "I got this, totally. Me and Hunk will go down all smiles and waves and awesomeness and we're good."  
  
"Lance, admittedly we do not anticipate any issues, but please take this seriously." Allura frowned at him. "I am not highly comfortable sending you without the lions, but the people of this world live below ground and I am even more uncomfortable leaving the lions unprotected on the surface of the planet while you meet. One of the small shuttles will be able to fit into their hanger, but just barely. Please avoid destroying the entrance to their hanger." Allura's frown turned teasing. This was not the first meeting with the planet. They were invited to a small festival and to pick up a delivery of materials they could use to replenish depleted parts for the castle. A particular ore that Coran said was essential to proper formation of spare parts. They were delivering a new communicator that Pidge had been working on and bringing along a group of refuges from a mining prison camp. The former prisoners were excited to put their skills to use fighting those that had held them captive.  
  
"Ah, Allura, the tailor will not fail you." Lance smiled broadly. Pidge and Hunk groaned and everyone else looked mildly confused.  
  
"We are going to wormhole out to the Galra base that Pidge tracked from the prison information. As you know it seems to be some sort of communications hub. We can't take the prisoners with us on this mission. We are going to go in have a look and if it looks like we need Voltron, we'll wait for you and Allura will open a wormhole to get you to us before we go in." Shiro went over the plan with the team and ignored the poor joke.  
  
"We don't anticipate a lot of resistance, the base is essentially hidden and we wouldn't have been able to find it if we hadn't known where to look. We believe that this is it's primary defense and we should be able to get in and out without any issues." Pidge was anxious to get to the information that could be the key to finding her family.  
  
"But we are playing it safe, we are going to check carefully first." Shiro cautioned. He knew how Pidge felt. He wanted his old crew back too, but he wouldn't risk his new one.  
  
"Be careful guys, we are just a wormhole away." Hunk offered looking squarely at Pidge, trying to reassure her that if the delay was required it wouldn't have to be a long one.  
  
Pidge gave him a smile, she understood.

***exit flashback***  
  


Lance pulled his eyes up to Hunks. Hunk tried to pour every ounce of strength he had from his body into Lance's through their eyes. Lance managed to move an arm and then a leg, he was dragging himself forward slowly.  
  
"You got this Lance. You got this." Hunk reached as far as he could through the bars. He strained, but he couldn't get any closer.

***flashback***  


"Welcome Paladins to the planet of Quarton. The leadership of the planet was waiting at the doors to the hangers. They were dressed in bright yellows and reds. The people of this world were essentially albinos. They had pale white skin and hair. Their eyes were pink and very sensitive to light and weak. They had extremely sensitive hearing and sense of smell. They were humanoid in form, with slightly broader and shorter bodies and heavily muscled arms and legs. There were about twenty people waiting to greet them. Among them the leader of the planet who wore a wooden crown carved from a single piece of wood. To them metal and jewels were common and the wood was the rare material, the clothing of the leadership was made of soft cotton, another rare material in the underground world. The common people tended to wear more silks made from the cocoons of worms they raised. It was more durable than earth silk and they wove it thicker. The colors of their clothing were bright and vibrant adding color to their underground world.  
  
The halls were lit with a phosphorescent plant. Pidge had been excited to take a sample back after their first visit. Hunk and Lance were greeted with hugs and pats on the back. They were a very touchy feely group and Hunk and Lance were the two best suited to their ways. The former prisoners had also been warned to prepare them for as Lance phrased it "the love fest."  
  
Hunk and Lance opened the back of the shuttle and the hodge podge group of aliens from the prison stepped into the hanger. A cheer of greeting raised up from the gathered Quartonians, they were a warm people and were happy to welcome these people into their family. Each miner was presented with a colored scarf in yellow and escorted into the hall where others waited to take them to their new home. There were more cheers as each person was met in the hall.  
  
Lance and Hunk stood back and smiled. They were surrounded by the leadership. They had presented the new communicator amidst a wave of gratitude. There were promises of a huge feast. Hunk told Lance next to the Balmera where Shay lived this was his second favorite planet to visit.

  
***exit flashback***  
  


Hunk was never going to want to come here again. It didn't matter who was at fault. He was never going to be on this planet again and not smell blood and not hear the whimpers Lance was making as he crawled. He was never going to set foot in that hanger again and not smell the smoke, not feel the vibration of the explosion, the screams of the people blinded by the stun grenade.

  
**flashback***  
  


The blast went off about as they were preparing to leave the hanger. It had been somewhere ahead in them in the hall. They were blinded and deafened by the blasts. The Quartonians were screaming in pain. Between their eyes and ears this kind of attack was devastating to them. Hunk was afraid it could have actually permanently damaged or even killed them.  
  
He felt hands pulling him, dragging him. He couldn't find Lance. He couldn't find him anywhere. He was being moved somewhere. When he got there something hard hit him in the head. He was already stunned and the pain left him reeling. He tried to stand again and a second blow sent him into darkness.

  
***exit flashback***  
  


Hunk wasn't going to give up. He was going to get Lance and him out of here. He was going to stop this atrocity. He was going to stop this coup. He was going to stop all of it.  
  
Lance was getting closer his eyes kept drifting closed.  
  
"Lance, please, you are the most amazing friend I have ever had. Please, I love you man, don't quit on me. Come on Lance, if anyone can do this it's you. You can do anything. You can do anything." Hunk pushed his arm further out. His shoulder pulling and bruising against the bars.

  
***flashback***  
  


"Tell me where he is." The Quartonian dressed in dark gray pressed the knife against Hunk's throat. "Where is the other paladin?"  
  
"I don't know. I couldn't see after the bombs went off. I don't know what happened to anyone. I was dragged here and then knocked out. I didn't see anyone. I was trying to find him, but I couldn't see." Hunk's head swung to the side with the punch he saw coming. He didn't know what to do. Lance wasn't here with him. He didn't know where he was. This bozo was trying to take over the planet. Something about traditional values and taking them back to who they were supposed to be., keeping them safe from the outside universe. Hunk thought he was jut a crazy on a power trip, but he had an entire group of crazies helping him.  
  
He was tied to the chair. They kept hitting him. It sucked. They were strong and his head was swimming. One eye was swollen shut and the his lip was busted and bleeding. A commontion in the hall caught the head crazy's attention. Low growls sounded around him from the followers.  
  
"All hail, Lord Movrin, I bring an offering. We have succeeded in our pursuit. Though he was more resistant than we thought. He will not be resistant anymore." A harsh voice yelled from the hall. And Hunk's throat tightened in fear.  
  
"Put him in the cell." Hunk felt himself being lifted and thrown into the cage in the middle of the room. Metal bars and a huge freaking lock between him and the outside world. Every muscle in Hunk's body tensed when they dragged Lance in. He was limp. There was blood, a lot of blood. The words "not resistant anymore" echoed in his head and he nearly passed out forgetting to breath and in a panic until he saw Lance's body shudder with a breath.  
  
They dropped him on the floor. The leader kicked him. Lance was flung over against the wall, groaning in pain.  
  
"Where did you find him?" The leader growled.  
  
"He was in a back hall near the kitchens. No one was with him. We still haven't found the leadership. He attacked us and we had to fight back. He would not answer our questions." The follower was on his knees in front of the leader.  
  
"You." The leader grabbed Lance by his hair. "Tell me where the false leaders of my people have hidden. They must pay for their crimes."  
  
Lance's eyes were closed. There was blood running from his nose. His breath rasped painfully. He gave no indication of hearing him. The leader pulled him up to his feet by his hair and shook him.  
  
"This is a waste of time. Renew the search. I am joining you." The leader dropped Lance and walked out the door. The others followed not even looking back at them.  
  
A few moments later Lance opened his eyes and looked at Hunk smiling. He opened his hands and showed Hunk the key he'd apparently picked off of the leader.

  
***exit flashback***  
  


Lance stopped moving about two minutes ago. He didn't react to Hunk's cries. He was barely breathing. Hunk screamed and cried. He slammed his arms against the bars. His fingers were so close to the key, so close to freeing them both. He pushed his arm through the bar again. Pushing further and further and couldn't reach, couldn't reach. He slammed his shoulder as hard as he could into the bar. Something gave, something slipped and he felt like his shoulder was on fire, but it was enough, he also felt the cool metal of the key hooking onto his hand. He used his other arm to pull that one back in. He clamped his mouth shut to hold in the pain.  
  
He got the key into his good hand and unlocked his cage. He pulled himself out and over to Lance. His legs were numb from being on the floor cramped. He got over the Lance and reached out his good hand to check for a pulse. It was there. He felt himself sag in relief.  
  
"Okay, Lance. Okay. We are getting out of here. He sat next to his friend. He was having trouble doing anything one handed. He made himself look at his shoulder. It was the wrong shape. He was dizzy and hurting from the beating, but he knew his shoulder should not look like that. He couldn't feel his arm. He needed his arm. He had seen it done in movies. Most specifically the kind of movies that Lance had made him watch. He just needed a solid surface. He eyed a book shelf on the wall. It was stone. It had a flat side. He pulled himself over. His legs were in agony as the blood flow returned. He knew it was going to feel like nothing in a minute. He took a deep breath and slammed his shoulder into the shelf. He nearly bit his tongue off choking back the scream. He could taste copper and feel blood running out of his mouth. He could also feel his arm tingling back to life. If not perfect it had at least helped.  
  
He hurried back to Lance. There were two stab wounds in his abdomen. He took off his shirt and balled it up to put pressure on the worst one just under his rib cage on the left side. He hadn't even realized he was crying until he felt the tears splashing on his good hand. He was sobbing.  
  
"Lance, please man, don't do this to me." He scooped him into his arms and stood on shaking legs. He was getting out of here, where ever here was. He looked into the hall. It was not an area he was familiar with. He made his way down the hall. He didn't see anyone. He didn't hear anything. Where were they?  
  
"Lance, where are we man? I wish you were awake. You are so much better at direction than I am." Lance didn't answer, but he was still breathing and that was answer enough for Hunk.  
  
He kept moving, kept walking on shaking legs. They were getting out of here. He was getting them out of here. He heard something moving ahead. He stepped to the side of the hall. He crouched low, leaning Lance against the wall.  
  
Voices were moving closer. Voices and footsteps.  
  
"They were this way, I am sure. There is a trail." Hunk looked down and almost puked. There was a drag mark down the hall in blood - Lance's blood. A group of Quartonians came around the corner. They were dressed in red.  
  
"Paladin! They're here! We found them!" Several rushed forward hands out.  
  
Hunk startled back pulling Lance against him, protecting him. He couldn't think straight and there were all these people rushing him.  
  
"Peace, Paladin Hunk. Please we want to help. We want to help. We have stopped the revolt. Please, we won't hurt you," Hunk relaxed and the hands were on him and on Lance.  
  
"These wounds are beyond our skill to heal." One voice spoke softly, gentle hands laying Lance's hands over his chest, like he was dead.  
  
"No." Hunk whispered at first and then increased in volume as he stood cradling Lance against him. "Not beyond ours. I have to get him to the castle I have to get him back."  
  
Then the hands were helping him, moving him, guiding him and before he knew it he was at his shuttle. He didn't remember what they said. He didn't remember how he got there. He didn't remember being in the hanger or piloting out in to space. He simply found himself in space, in the shuttle, calling Allura.  
  
"Allura, I need a wormhole now and a healing pod!" He didn't know if she didn't answer and opened right away because of how he sounded, frantic and detached at the same time, or if she answered back and he just wasn't capable of hearing her.  
  
He didn't remember landing. He was sitting in the pilot chair still holding onto Lance. Shiro was there and Pidge. They were talking. They were wanting something. Then Shiro was prying his hands off of Lance. Hunk looked down at his fingers, they didn't feel like his. They were someone else's. Then Lance was gone. Shiro was gone. Pidge was sitting in front of him crying. Why was Pidge crying? Why was there blood on his hands, on his body…wait where was his shirt? He couldn't breathe. He couldn't catch his breath. Pidge's voice got louder. Allura was there. Allura picked him up. Just reached down and scooped him up like a little kid. And then he was in the med bay. Lance was floating in a pod. He looked back and Allura was talking to him, but he couldn't hear her.

***  
  


He felt himself falling into warmth. A warm blanket wrapped around him and then his knees gave out and he was sitting on the floor. There was the musical sound of his best friend's laughter echoing in his ear.  
  
"Hey there, Hunkalicious. You okay?"  
  
Hunk blinked his eyes open. Lance was attempting to hold him up and was laughing openly at his failed attempts. Hunk had to smile back. Lance's laugh always made him smile.  
  
"Are you okay?" He looked at Lance smiling with color in his face, breathing, talking, laughing, looking very well.  
  
"I am. Thanks to you, buddy. You saved me. Thank you, Hunk." Lance wrapped him in a tight hug.  
  
"If you're okay, then I'm okay." Hunk wrapped his arms around Lance and rested his head against his. As long as they were together, everything was going to be fine.


	3. Keith

"Brother let me be your shelter  
Never leave you all alone  
I can be the one you call  
When you're low"

Keith - Season 3

"Hunk, go! That's an order!" Keith yelled at the stubborn pigheaded yellow paladin.

"No offense, Keith, but unless you come over here and make me I'm not going anywhere!" Hunk yelled back firing his cannon over the edge of the crater they were hiding in. It was just deep enough to provide the minimum amount of cover on the battlefield.

Keith glared ineffectively from where he lay on his back. Hunk laughed at him. It was a little hysterical granted, but the glare was just so over the top he couldn't help it. Hunk fired off another blast, bits of droids flew up in the air. He fired two more, then scooped Keith back up over his shoulder, pointedly ignoring his cry of pain and subsequent whimpers as they ran. He couldn't think about that if he was going to get them out of here. He couldn't run and think that each jolt of every footstep must be agony to Keith.

"Hunk, run faster."

Right, Keith is also a real jerk when he's hurting. Hunk picked up the pace. There was a cliff up ahead with what looked like cave openings. It had been their goal for the last half varga. Run until the shots got too close, stop and blow up some bad guys, and then run some more. Speaking of that last shot was a little close for comfort. He spotted a large rock in the landscape ahead and dropped Keith behind it, turning to fire his cannon again.

"Fuck." Keith muttered as he landed. Hunk cringed. He couldn't care right now. He had to do what he had to do to save Keith. "Just leave me here already. You could have been out of here and back with help already."

"And you would be dead and in no need of help, so it's not really an argument you are going to win. Just because I'm not as big a genius as Pidge doesn't mean I'm not a genius. Stop arguing with me, you won't win." Hunk wasn't focused on his argument so much as taking out as many droids as possible, caching his breath and getting ready to run some more.

Keith growled. Hunk was a little worried he might bite him when he picked him up next. He fired the cannon twice more and decided to risk it. He grabbed Keith again, mindful of his injuries, but there was no stopping the cry and whimpers. One should not be carried over someone's shoulder with two unset broken legs. It was a bad plan and just not good for a person. Of course, getting killed by Galra was worse, so here they went.

Hunk made it to the cliffs. They were gray like the rest of this whole planet. A whole planet in grayscale. He dove into the dark gray of the first opening he found. He stopped when he was far enough inside for his eyes to adjust and the lights on their armor to kick on. The tunnel went on for as far as he could see. Hunk looked back and made a decision. He blasted the entrance. Rocks crumbled down completely blocking the way they had come.

"What the hell?" Keith stared at Hunk, they were trapped.

"I need time and I don't need them on our heels. I need to get you patched up. If we have to go back that way, I'll just have to figure out a way to blast the rocks."

"Please don't blast anything else." Hunk was surprised by the shake of fear in Keith's voice and the wide panicked look in his eyes. Maybe he should have let him on the blast the entrance plan before he'd executed it.

"Hey, genius, remember? I knew where to hit it to just bring down the entrance." Hunk sat down next to Keith. He needed to check his injuries. "Okay, just lie back. What hurts the worst?"

"My legs." Keith answered through clenched teeth. He was paler than usual and a sheen of sweat stood out on his face.

"Too bad being Galra Keith doesn't make you have like super healing powers." Hunk checked the legs, no broken skin, obvious deformities in both shins, about two inches, swollen, purple and horribly painful looking. The gate had fallen hard on him as he tried to slide through. They'd been lucky Hunk had been able to catch it before it had chopped both legs off. Unlucky that he hadn't caught it fast enough to avoid the breaks. Other than that he had bruises and cuts from the fight on their way to the gate.

This simple data retrieval mission had gone very sour. They knew going in that communications on this rock were going to be a problem. It had a crazy high magnetic interference, anything more than fifty feet away and nothing but static. They'd planned their route in taking that into consideration, begin so careful to stick together. And then the best laid plans had gone where they usually go. They'd been separated from the others and forced to find a secondary exit.

The secondary exit went through an entire platoon of droids. Keith tried to cut them all down with his sword. Hunk was frustrated more than once by his leader being in the way of him using his very powerful, highly effective cannon weapon. Then they'd gone for the gate. Keith told Hunk to go ahead that he was right behind him. Keith was a liar. Hunk had figured that out in time to turn and jam his bayard under the gate, it transformed into a long staff and he was able to use it to pry it up high enough for Keith to slide out.

He'd thrown Keith over his shoulder and they had run from the base. They'd gotten a head start out across the battlefield as Hunk called it. Taking occasional artillery fire, but nothing heavy while the droids worked to get through the gate, then it was the shoot and run tactic across the field that was easily five football fields in length.

"Can you feel your feet?" Hunk asked. He thought he should check for a pulse in Keith's foot on each leg, but honestly he didn't know if there was anything he could do if there wasn't and taking his boots off would be crazy painful.

"No." Keith frowned. "I can't feel anything past the breaks."

Hunk nodded and frowned, he'd been afraid of that. So possibly no circulation to his feet, nerve damage, bleeding internally at the crush site - Hunk swallowed back the vomit threatening to come up his throat.

"Okay, so we need to get you back to a healing pod and sooner is better than later." Hunk tried to be positive and honest. It was a little hard right now, but it wasn't like Keith didn't know. His purple eyes glistened briefly and he let out a deep breath. "Hey, it's going to be okay. I'm going to find something to splint up your legs so it doesn't hurt so bad when I carry you."

"Hunk, why didn't you leave me. I told you to go, like three times, I even made it an order once." Keith's stare was a little unnerving.

"Keith, we are a team and just because you are the leader doesn't mean you aren't part of our team. Teammates do not leave each other behind." Hunk turned away and began digging through the debris for a suitable splint. There had been some timbers shoring up the tunnel, a piece of those might work.

"I ordered you to leave so that you'd be safe, now you're stuck here in this cave with me." It seemed Keith was still trying to win him over to his side of the argument.

"And where would you be? Dead? Being interrogated by Galra soldiers? Nope, not going to happen." Hunk had found two pieces that looked suitable. He pulled off the armor on his sleeve and ripped the sleeve off of the under armor. "Alright got enough for one. Let's do this one and see how it goes and then I'll try to find stuff for the next one."

Keith watched warily as Hunk approached. Hunk tried to be gentle, but there was no way around it hurting. Keith groaned and clamped his mouth shut. Hunk figured he would have been screaming and crying if it had been him, but Keith was big on his tough guy image. He sat back when he was done and checked the binding. It was tight, the pieces of timber where long enough to brace the break and keep his foot still. It was as good as it was going to get. Keith was laying flat, his eyes closed, taking slow controlled breaths. Hunk wished they had some water or something.

He went back to digging for braces. Keith's breathing evened out and he sat back up to watch Hunk.

"Do you think they'll try to dig their way in here?" Keith wondered.

"I haven't heard anything yet, but yeah I kind of thought they would. There is about five feet of collapse, so it should take awhile. Or…" Hunk paused and then went back to digging hoping Keith hadn't noticed.

"Or?" Yeah, Keith noticed.

"Well, I've been thinking this place looks a lot like a mine and they probably have equipment or explosives to open tunnels and they might have gone to get that so, yeah, we should probably hurry." Hunk came back with two pieces of timber. One was two short and one was a little crooked, but his sudden insight made him think it might be better to get a move on and these would have to do.

"Oh." Keith nodded looking around their cave. It didn't look natural.

"Alright lets get this done." Hunk made quick work of his other sleeve and set to binding. It was harder with the mismatched pieces. He put the crooked one on the outside, binding the straight portion and letting part of it stick out. He was worried it would get bumped as they ran, but there wasn't anything to be done for it.

Keith was really pale now and his skin felt kind of clammy when Hunk reached a hand up to wipe his hair out of his eyes. He had his eyes closed and was breathing slowly.

"I'm sorry. I know that hurts." Hunk wiped a tear from his own eye. "Let's just give you a few minutes to recover."

"No, we can go." Keith spoke through gritted teeth.

"You are very stubborn my friend." Hunk spoke quietly laying his hand on Keith's shoulder. "But I'm not picking you up until you are less white than your armor."

"Hunk, I'm your leader, you are supposed to do what I say." Keith blurted out frustrated.

"Right, like you always did what Shiro said?" Keith flinched at Shiro's name and Hunk regretted bringing it up. "Nope, we were friends before you were my leader. That officially gives me the right to veto your self-sacrificing leader orders on the basis of friendship." Hunk nodded to himself pleased with his logic.

He waited about five dobashes and Keith was breathing easier and his color was improved, though not exactly great.

"You ready?" Hunk asked.

Keith hadn't said anything while they waited. He looked over and met Hunk's warm brown eyes. "Thank you."

"For what?" Hunk asked as he stood.

"Not leaving me. It's…um…I…" He looked away and Hunk could see tears threatening. Keith would not usually be so open, the pain and situation seemed to be breaking through a little, or maybe it was just Hunk. He had a way of letting people talk to him without worry of judgement. "A lot of people in my life have left me, you know, I…it…well it means a lot that you wouldn't and that you're my friend."

Hunk gave him a huge smile, "You are very welcome." He patted Keith's shoulder and as gently as possible lifted him up over his. "Now, let's get you home."

"Home." Keith mumbled from behind him. "Yeah, let's get home."

Hunk made his way into the winding tunnel. It was a straight shot so far, no turns or anything. He was getting worried it was just going to end at a dig site and a dead end. He had been walking for nearly twenty dobashes.

"Keith?"

"I'm okay." His answer was breathy and weak. He was not okay.

"Yeah, not that believable." He stopped and sat Keith down. "You need to catch your breath."

"We gotta keep going." Keith breathed, "they could be coming any moment."

"Keith, I'm thinking they won't be. I mean, we've been walking in a straight line for awhile, I'm worried it's not like a mine complex and more like just a straight tunnel to no where. It would explain why they haven't started trying to get us - no hurry." Hunk was getting discouraged.

"Maybe it's the others. Maybe they are why they haven't started trying to get to us yet." Keith offered. "Lance and Allura and Pidge aren't going to leave us right? We're teammates." Keith smiled giving Hunk back his own words.

Hunk nodded, laughing lightly, "You're right."

They sat for maybe five dobashes and then Hunk picked him back up. He was getting weaker. Hunk could tell, his body was less tense and his skin was getting colder. They had walked for another ten dobashes when they finally came to what looked like a t in the tunnel. Hunk gave a whoop of joy when they turned the corner and found what looked like a lift, similar to the one he'd used when he got Yellow. He loaded Keith into the corner and used the controls to lift them up.

"Good work, Hunk." Keith spoke quietly. His head rolled awkwardly on his shoulders, like he didn't have the strength to hold it up anymore.

"Almost there Keith, hold on." Hunk could see light above them and then he heard the crackle of static on his helmet.

"Lance? Allura? Pidge?" He asked.

"Hunk! Where are you?" Pidge answered.

"Coming up from the mines in a lift. Should be about a mile or a little less from the edge of that cliff to the west of the base." Hunk answered. "Keith's with me, but he's hurt we need to get him to a pod."

"I'm okay." Keith answered completely unconvincing.

"Yeah, you sound like it." Pidge's sarcasm dripped through the coms.

"He has two badly broken legs." He smiled as the body of the green lion flew over the opening. "I saw you!"

"I saw you too. Green and I are at the top of the shaft, we're ready to get you back to the castle. The rest of the base has been taken out." Pidge answered.

"Time to go home, Keith." Hunk reached down to pick him up.

"Time to go home," Keith gave him a tired smile.


	4. Shiro

"Brother let me be your fortress  
When the night winds are driving on  
Be the one to light the way  
Bring you home"

Shiro - Season 1

Hunk was worried. Hunk was usually worried, but this was different. Shiro had already had two flashbacks in training this week. The bags under his eyes were making him look way older than he was and he had snapped at Pidge yesterday. When Hunk had asked Keith about it he had frowned and said he was trying, but Shiro wouldn't listen to him. He told Hunk he didn't think he was sleeping well, that he'd caught him up walking the halls in the middle of the night. Hunk did not point out that was because Keith walked the halls in the middle of the night as well.

As a matter of fact, none of them slept well. Hunk had asked Coran for something to help him sleep like the second night at the castle. Coran had happily launched into a discussion of human sleep needs, biology, anatomy and any other random health knowledge Hunk had. He had run five or six scans and then provided Hunk with a set of herbal teas he said were safe and should be effective sleep aides for a human.

The tea didn't work on anyone else, but Hunk liked it. It was soothing to hold the warm cup and feel the warmth spread as he sipped the liquid. He liked to have a cup before bed.

Lance was the next easiest problem to solve. All he needed was a hug and a warm body and he would be right back to sleep. Hunk wished he knew how to stop the nightmares that made him wake up screaming or crying, but at least he could offer his hugs and his bed.

Pidge had been a challenge, but they had reached an understanding and she was at least trying to sleep. It wasn't exactly a normal schedule, but according to her this wasn't far from how she had slept at home. Shiro confirmed her father and brother had made comments about her erratic sleep patterns.

Hunk had finally settled on the best way to make sure Keith slept was to make sure he was physically exhausted. It wasn't an easy task, the guy was like an angry energizer bunny, he just kept going and going and chopping things up with his sword. Hunk had found though, that Keith was very willing to help his teammates if asked. So he had enlisted him in helping him move supplies for the kitchen, move supplies for the laundry room, move parts for projects he and Pidge were working, etc. Basically he had him moving heavy boxes from room to room in the castle. One time Hunk hadn't had anything that needed moved so he'd loaded some boxes with rocks and had Keith move them from one closet to another. It was a little underhanded, but it was better than cranky Keith who had stayed up to 4 in the morning smashing training bots and then getting frustrated when he didn't do as well at training the next day.

There was one large problem remaining. A large problem walking down the hall like a zombie at 2 am. Hunk had gotten up about an hour ago and set up the kitchen, waiting. He was hoping to catch Shiro on his rounds and Keith said he usually stopped by the kitchen when he was walking the halls for a drink of water.

He didn't even notice Hunk when he walked in. His eyes were half open and he sort of moved like he didn't need to look to know where he was going. Hunk didn't want to startle him, so he cleared his throat a little. Shiro jumped like he'd screamed at him.

"Oh!" Shiro blinked a few times as he looked at Hunk. "I…um…I didn't see you there."

"Sorry, Shiro, I didn't mean to scare you." Hunk answered apologetically. Scaring the man probably wasn't the way to help him get more sleep. He was really at a loss as to how to help. He didn't figure Shiro was up for a sleep over like Lance, or needed new tech and someone looking after him like Pidge, or needed just more activity like Keith. Shiro's problems were deeper. He had suffered an extreme emotional and physical trauma and Hunk was not a shrink.

"What are you doing up?" Shiro was instantly concerned. He wasn't used to seeing him up. It made Hunk happy and sad to see someone struggling so bad instantly drop his own concerns for worry over Hunk.

"Oh, I usually have some tea before bed and I forgot tonight. I woke up when Lance came in and couldn't get back to sleep." Hunk didn't tell a complete lie, he had skipped his nightly tea and he had waited until after Lance had settled before he left.

"Tea?" Shiro asked, actually looking interested.

"Coran gave it to me. I was having trouble sleeping so he did a bunch of scans and research and stuff and come up with some stuff I could drink." Hunk pulled the wooden box down off of the shelf. "There are like fifteen different herbs in here that I can mix up and make different teas. As it turns out Alteans may have had horrible taste in food, but their teas are wonderful." Hunk measured up a mixture he called 'Lavender Dreams' because it reminded him so strongly of the smell of lavender. It was one of the first he'd used to help himself sleep.

Shiro smiled appreciatively and breathed deeply, his eyes drifted closed.

"Would you like to try something?" Hunk asked secretly pleased at his reaction so far.

"I don't want to use up your supply." Shiro shook his head.

"No, Coran said these are all pretty easy to come up with. There was only one ingredient he said he couldn't get anymore because it used to grow on Altea and I did not take that one. Was there a tea or something you liked back home? I could try to recreate it?" Hunk offered. He remembered the sad look in Coran's eyes as he talked about his home. Having something from home was precious.

"Well, I actually drank a lot of tea back then, but it's been so long." Shiro looked wistful. "Adam always drank coffee, Keith would mix up some kind of crazy protein thing, and I would have a cup of tea."

"Keith lived with you?" Hunk blurted. There was a lot about Shiro he didn't know.

"No, not specifically, but he'd come stay a lot and sometimes would just stop by before class." Shiro was still half smiling, remembering better times Hunk guessed. He must really be tired to just be talking like this.

"What was your favorite tea?" Hunk asked.

"There was this one, it was a Jasmine tea with rose petals." Shiro smiled sadly. "Adam used to laugh at me and say it was a old lady tea, and maybe it was, but it reminded me of drinking tea with my mom sitting outside our home growing up. It always made me happy."

"Let me see," Hunk pulled a couple of the herbs, sniffing and adding portions to a small metal cup. He grabbed the little tea pot. He'd already filled it with water. He pushed a button on the side that warmed the water and added his premeasured cup full of herbs into the top of the pot. It was a very round pot and the spout was at the top, it pumped the tea up through a filter and out the spout at the top like a little tea fountain. The smell of roses soon filled the air.

"I'm not sure how close I got with the jasmine, but I think the roses are pretty good. Do you want alien honey?" Hunk offered a cup full of tea and scooted the little honey pot over to Shiro.

"Yes, thank you." Shiro took a small sip and then added a small amount of honey. "Hunk, this is lovely." He closed his eyes as he sipped. Hunk felt his shoulders relax a little. This was working. Shiro actually liked it.

"I'm glad you like it. I usually make a cup every night before I go to sleep. No one else seems to like it so I end up just drinking it by myself. I was…I mean…If you wanted you could join me?" Hunk stumbled over his words. He wasn't as sure of himself with Shiro as he was with the others. Shiro was their leader, maybe he wouldn't want Hunk's help.

Shiro looked up with a surprised smile, "I would like that Hunk, I can't promise I can make it every night, but I will when I can."

The next several nights in a row, Shiro made it down for tea time in the evening. Hunk was sure enjoying getting to know his leader. He made some little biscuits to have with their tea and they just sat and talked. Hunk learned about Shiro's life before he'd left on the ill-fated mission. He learned about Shiro's parents and grandparents. Hunk had told him about his mom and dad, his uncle, his little niece and nephew and it was all just nice. Hunk always knew that food brought people together. He and Shiro didn't have a lot else in common, but they had this. It made him feel grounded, safe, more comfortable with his team and their leader.

The real problem was he wasn't sure it was really helping Shiro or not. He seemed more relaxed when he left after tea, but Keith had confirmed he was still seeing Shiro walking the halls sometimes in the middle of the night, but maybe not as often? Hunk hoped it was less often anyway.

One night a few weeks later, Keith had just finished moving supplies into the kitchen closet when Shiro arrived.

"All moved Hunk," Keith wiped the sweat from his eyes.

"Thanks, Keith, chili is on the menu for tomorrow! I really appreciate your help!" Hunk smiled at the appreciative look he got. Keith was always so happy when someone went out of their way to do something nice for him. He didn't jump and down and squeal like Lance would have, but the smile was enough to let Hunk know he'd done something good.

Shiro nodded to Keith as he left a little smirk on his face, "Hunk?"

"Yes, Shiro?" Hunk asked as he was starting getting down the tea preparation materials.

"Are those the same boxes he moved to the hall closet yesterday?" Shiro raised one eyebrow and looked at Hunk.

Hunk blushed all the way to his roots, "Um…not all of them. I kind of mix them up and move things from box to box, but some of it really is stuff I need in the kitchen this time…"  
"Hunk, why are you having Keith move boxes around the castle?" Shiro's tone was lightly amused.

"Well, he was having trouble sleeping? He just had so much extra energy and he was working out like all night, so I thought if I helped him find something to you know…wear him out…then he could sleep?" Hunk gave Shiro a worried look.

Shiro surprised him and burst out laughing, not a little chuckle, a deep belly laugh that brought tears to his eyes.

"You won't tell him?" Hunk asked with a tentative smile.

"Tell him?" Shiro wiped the tears from his eyes. "No, I was worried that I was going to have to find him something else to do once he got done moving stuff for you. It was working so well to help him sleep, I was worrying about what I'd do when he didn't have it anymore. That was very clever, Hunk." Shiro gave him the approving leader slash dad look.

"Thanks, Shiro." Hunk smiled and fixed Shiro's tea and handed it to him, before fixing his own and sitting down to join him.

"Hunk, I assume you are the one that fixed up the search computer for Pidge?" Shiro asked from the other side of his teacup.

"Well, yeah, Lance helped me retrieve the parts from Rover, but yeah." Hunk smiled proud of that accomplishment.

"And Lance, he's been bunking with you?"

"Oh, well not every night, only when he has a bad dream. He used to do it at the Garrison sometimes too." Hunk was less comfortable as this seemed more personal.

"Does he wake you up, often?" Shiro asked glancing sideways at Hunk.

"Oh I barely even notice, sometimes I give him a hug and sometimes he just crawls in behind me and I don't even remember and just wake up extra warm." Hunk smiled fondly thinking of his best bud curled up behind him like a lonesome puppy.

"So the night you were waiting for me in the kitchen, he accidently woke you?" The tone of Shiro's voice was light and mocking. Hunk knew he'd been found out.

"Oh, well…no…actually, I was…" Hunk floundered.

"Worried about me?" Shiro asked.

"Well, yeah." Hunk admitted. "I knew you weren't sleeping and well, the tea helps me…" He trailed off feeling foolish. Had Shiro just been humoring him this whole time? It was silly to think his tea had helped.

"Me too." Shiro quipped with a quick sip of his tea. "It makes me feel warm." He smiled at Hunk softly.

"Oh, yeah, me too. I like how the mug feels in my hands. Like everything I'm worried about just flows out when the heat flows in." Hunk smiled into his tea. Tonight was a blend of alien chamomile and peppermint.

"Did I tell you yet about the time my Sofu mixed Baba's black tea with his tobacco and accidently tried to smoke it?" Shiro chuckled at the memory of his fathers parents bickering and the smell of burnt tea.

Hunk sipped his tea and closed his eyes. He had helped. He had helped them all.


	5. Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this chapter is a little trippy. Totally based on a dream I had that inspired this set of stories. Hope you have enjoyed.

"Brother let me be your shelter"

Season 2- Team

****

The astral plane is a weird place. There really wasn't any other way to say it. They were fighting in Voltron. There was a robeast, they had just destroyed it. The castle was engaging the fleet, and then suddenly they were hit by a blast of purple energy. They awoke to find themselves in a sandy plain that went on forever with a dark sky above them. There was lightning flashing in the sky. They were all laying in the sand. Hunk and Lance were the first up. They found Pidge and Hunk carried her over to where Keith and Shiro had gathered.

"Where are we?" Hunk asked. "I feel like someone dropped kicked me across the sky."

"It's similar to the astral plane I went to through Black." Shiro offered.

"So, any idea how to get out of here?" Lance spun around looking for a door or something obvious.

"No. Black was there before. I don't feel her right now. I feel cut off. I think this was Haggar's doing." Shiro was keeping a sharp eye out for the witch. Whatever this was, she wasn't done with them yet.

As if summoned by his thoughts the witch appeared before them hooded and cackling, "I have brought you here. You will give me what I want."

"Oh and what is that?" Lance smarted off.

She growled and flipped a wrist, purple lightening flew from her fingers and arced over to Lance sending him twitching to the ground.

"Hey!" Hunk moved over to Lance to check on him and help him up.

"We are not giving you anything." Keith growled and would have pounced if Shiro hadn't put out a hand and held him.

"Don't let her split us up Keith." Shiro turned to the witch, "Let us out of here or you will regret it."

"NO!" she hissed. "I will drain you of your quintessence and when I have, the Black Lion will return to Zarkon." She reached out a hand and muttered. A ball of darkness formed floating above her hand. Then it was pulling something from Shiro, something shimmery and black, being pulled out of him and toward the ball in a long stream.

"Stop!" Pidge tried shooting her bayard at the witch, but it didn't activate.

"NO!" Keith dove between Shiro and the witch. The line of sparkling energy touched him and then retreated back around Shiro like a puddle as he fell to his knees.

"Shiro?" Hunk moved to help. As he touched the shimmering energy he felt something within himself as well. He closed his eyes and concentrated and suddenly the energy was inside a shallow golden pool. Shiro sitting in the middle of it looking as confused as Hunk.

In the meantime Keith had burst into flame, like literally there were flames all over him. He looked a little freaked out as well, but then he ran toward the witch prepared to strike her with his burning arms.

She hissed, the ball she had formed dropped and she disappeared.

As soon as she was gone Keith's flames went out. "What just happened?"

"It must be our quintessence, like she said." Pidge answered in awe. "I mean fire, that's you right. Hunk, earth or something? Shiro, I have no idea…" Pidge stopped and stared at the pool that had filled up with the sparkling energy like Shiro was some kind of fountain.

"Power." Hunk answered. "It's like power, I couldn't do anything till I touched it."

"Me too." Keith was still patting his arms and body making sure the flames were gone and he wasn't hurt.

"I think it's more spiritual energy? Black is the most connected to the astral plane, so maybe I can manipulate the energies here."

"And Haggar wants it and if she gets it she is going to kick our butts." Lance offered dusting himself off. The jolt left his body aching…or his spirit aching…or yeah he thought that's just weird.

"Not to mention it might kill Shiro to drain it all from him." Pidge added.

"Then we can't let her near him." Keith was staring at his hands now.

"What are you doing?" Lance asked.

"Um…trying to make fire again?" Keith looked a little bewildered. "I still feel like I can I just can't get it back."

"Try saying Flame On." Lance offered.

"No." Keith scowled.

"Keith, it went away as soon as Haggar left, try feeling angry again?" Hunk offered.

"Ok," Keith frowned and flames appeared at his finger tips.

"Not much flame, maybe you need to be more angry?" Hunk approached Keith looking at his hands, fascinated with the way it burned, but didn't burn him.

"Right, Mullet, try to get more angry." Lance teased and then shouted and dodged as a ball of flame flew his way.

"Keith." Shiro warned, still feeling weakened.

"That's awesome!" Lance yelled.

"Lance, Pidge, we need to get you powered up as well, for when she comes back." Shiro gestured for them to come over.

"Shiro, are you sure, we don't want to hurt you." Pidge worried.

"It didn't hurt when Hunk or Keith powered up. I don't feel great, but I think that's because of what Haggar did not what they did. It seems she was trying to drain my energy," he gestured at the pool he sat it. "At least Hunk managed to collect it up for me." He smiled over to the yellow paladin.

"This is so weird." Lance touched his hand into the pool.

"I concur." Pidge followed suit.

"So what can you guys do?" Keith asked, practicing throwing fireballs.

Lance started moving doing some kind of Tai Chi type moves.

"Lance, are you really doing that?" Pidge asked with a grin on her face.

"Why not? Worked for Katara." As he spoke a ball of water formed in his hands. He smiled and tried a different set of moves and had the water twirling around like a little snake. Then as Keith was throwing a fireball, he whipped the water out snapping it into the fireball and putting it out. "I'm so a water bender." Lance practically danced.

Pidge sat on the ground and concentrated. A field of flowers sprung up around her. "Great. Anyone need a garden?" She seemed disappointed.

"Pidge, come on, how long have we being playing Masters and Mana and you can't come up with a good druid spell?" Hunk asked with a smile. "Let's see an entangle?"

Pidge grinned and vines grow from the ground under Keith and Lance wrapping up their legs and bodies and holding them still.

"Um…Pidge," Keith asked.

"Please, Pidge, we're on the same side remember?" Lance begged.

She laughed and released them.

Hunk sighed, he was having no luck activating anything. He even tried earth bender moves at Lance's suggestion and tried to turn himself into The Thing at Pidge's idea.

"Sorry, guys, I guess my power is making pools?" Hunk frowned disappointed in himself.

"Hey, you make the pool and I'll fill it and we'll go swimming." Lance offered putting on arm around his friend.

Hunk was trying to give Lance a small smile in return when lightning flashed across the sky and clouds formed over them. Keith muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "flame on" and was covered in flames lighting the darkness around them. They all moved together to stand around Shiro protectively.

In the darkness, lightning flashed around them. A low laugh echoed. "You think to stop me? You think to battle me here? You don't stand a chance."

"We chased you off earlier." Keith snarled.

"You interrupted my spell. That won't happen again." She appeared before Keith and he threw a fire ball at her, but she disappeared again. Suddenly they were surrounded by Haggars, like an entire army of identical witches moving in from all sides. Pidge started vines growing, grabbing and stopping all that she could while Lance and Keith started attacking with fire and water. The Haggars kept disappearing and reappearing.

Pidge was starting to pant. Her energy waning. Lance cried out as another lightning bolt caught him in the arm. The electric spreading through his water. Keith screamed and sent out a wall of flame torching the ground in front of him and pushing back the Haggars on that side. Hunk was by Shiro when the first attack against him came. A clear ball flying toward them from the Haggar army's ranks. Hunk reacted and a stone slab sprung from the ground shattering the ball.

Haggar howled in the darkness, her anger apparent.

Two more balls and two more slabs later, Hunk could see his team starting to weaken. Pidge was on her knees having taken a lightning blast. Lance was breathing hard and sweat was mixing with his water. Keith was visibly shaking, but refusing to stop.

Hunk had to protect them. He knelt on the ground. He looked to Shiro, who nodded, and he put his hand into the energy. He closed his eyes and concentrated on protecting his team. The ground shook, Haggar screamed, Pidge cheered, and Lance called his name. Hunk looked up and could see the golden walls of the fortress springing from the ground, growing higher and higher, protecting them from the army of witches. The walls glowed sending light shining into the darkness, driving away the storm, driving away Haggar.

Hunk didn't realize when the ground had stopped shaking, because he still was. He blinked, his team was fading in and out of the light. He blinked, they were talking to him, saying something. He blinked and he was in Yellow, in Voltron, he could feel his team with him. They were together.

"Paladins!" Allura's desperate voice called over the coms. "Please answer me!"

"We're here, Allura." Shiro answered wearily.

"I am so glad to hear your voice. After that last blast I was unable to reach any of you. It's been almost a varga. We were able to finish off most of the remaining fleet. The last cruiser just fled."

"That's good. I feel like I could sleep for a week." Lance muttered.

"I know what you mean," Pidge whispered.

"Hunk?" Keith asked.

"I'm here." He answered smiling softly to hear all of their voices.

"Come home Voltron." Allura requested sounding relieved.

"We're coming in Princess. We will tell you all about how Hunk saved us when we get there." Shiro answered.

"Yeah, Hunk really come through for us." Pidge echoed.

"We couldn't have done it without him." Keith agreed.

"My best bud, Defender of the Universe." Lance crowed.

"Aw guys," Hunk blushed his heart full.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Hunk needs some love :)


End file.
